Chicago Borealis
by scriba vindex
Summary: The heroes of Chicago P.D.'s 21st district have been given a gift which seems a bit too...generous. A two week vacation on board the luxurious Borealis cruise liner will provide ample opportunity for fun, humour, and romance- but also danger! Told from a LINSTEAD perspective!
1. Like An Alaskan Glacier

So my latest obsession is Chicago P.D., (an EXCELLENT show!) so I thought I'd write an intriguing storyline that takes the wonderful cops of the 21st into a whole new playing ground- a sort of vacation meets dangerous case type scenario. Will likely be told mostly from a Linstead perspective, since those two are my favourite J Takes place when Burgess is on the edge in terms of Ruzek vs. Roman, and Linstead is somewhat unofficial. Hope you enjoy...

...

"You have the right to remain silent." Erin sneered, shoving the offender against the squad car and deftly cuffing his wrists. She turned the broad man's shoulders and pointed him toward the car's open door.

"Don't be like that, baby-" the perp mused with a smirk. He tried to press in Erin's direction, but heard the heavy click of Halstead's gun against his back. "In the car." Jay said calmly. "Don't make me ask twice."

The offender threw his hands up and stepped into the car, staring icily at Halstead's loaded gun. Jay sent and equally cold stare back paired with a _yeah that's right_ expression.

Erin raised an eyebrow at her partner as he slammed the car door vigorously. "You beat me to it. I was gonna punch him." She called, bemused.

"Well now I'm disappointed...I would have enjoyed that."

Erin punched Jay in the arm, causing him to smile heartily. The pair ducked the crime scene's yellow tape and passed the other investigators as they made for their car the next block over.

"Nice arrest. A good way to start the morning." Jay muttered once they were amply away from the flashing lights and sirens.

"Good call listening to your C.I.; she may have been an alcoholic, but she was right about this guy. Now our good friend Lee Daniels will not be robbing any more apartments." Erin replied cheerfully.

"I don't think there are many things that please you more than arresting people."

"I can think of a few things." She whispered suggestively.

As they arrived at the car, Jay grumbled to himself. Internally his heart pounded with longing.

"What? You want to drive? 'Cause it's not happening." Erin drawled, getting into the driver's seat.

"Erin Lindsay, you're such a damn tease. I hate this whole 'being professional' thing."

Erin laughed: a beautiful trill of a sound that sent shivers down Jay's spine. "Me too." She whispered, taking Jay's hand delicately, the edges of her lips twisting upwards into a small smile.

"Let's get back to the precinct and got going on this paperwork." She added, putting the car into gear. Jay watched her out of the corner of his eye the whole ride back, pensive.

...

Jay Halstead was a master observer when it came to his partner. He had been watching Erin Lindsay since he had first laid eyes on her. He remembered the day vividly- about three years ago Antonio had led him into the 21st on his first day in intelligence, and he had been mentally prepared to be assigned a crusty veteran of a partner, being the newbie and all. He had been completely unprepared to lock eyes with the girl in the opposing desk. His stunning new partner had flowing honey-brown hair, soft hazel eyes, and a tongue like a whip. All slender five and a half feet of her was pure fight, and her no-bullshit-from-anyone attitude commanded respect, and often adoration from everyone around her. Erin was, quite simply, a beautiful fascination for Jay Halstead; she was a complex puzzle begging full devotion, and a missing piece that filled some sort of niche which had appeared after Jay had returned from service overseas. He longed terribly to express this need, to act on the searing desire and lust that constricted his being whenever he was near Erin, but there was still a barrier in place that prevented this liberation from occurring- namely sergeant Voight himself, along with issues of professionalism- but Halstead was determined to eradicate what was holding them apart and finally fuel the desire which still burned powerfully after three long years. This desire was clearly mutual, since neither of the two had been in a steady relationship since their partnership had begun. The only question was how: how to win the right to Lindsay's heart. Jay pondered these thoughts as he watched the morning sun illuminate Erin's beautiful profile. Soon the car pulled into the parking lot at the precinct and Jay was yanked out of his thoughts.

...

The duo entered the bullpen a moment later to great exclamation. The other members of intelligence eagerly congratulated Jay and Erin on putting away Lee Daniels- mastermind behind a series of large-scale robberies that had taken place over the last few weeks- and commended the two on their instincts about Jay's sketchy informant. Olinsky gave Jay a hearty pat on the back, and Antonio went in for a fist bump with Erin, much to her dismay. Once Lindsay and Halstead had returned to their desks to start the necessary paperwork, sergeant Voight wandered out of his office to address the detectives.

"Well done, both of you." he mused sincerely, leaning on Erin's desk. "I'm tempted to offer you two the day off, but something's bound to turn up and bring you right back up here anyway."

"If you're talking rewards you could send Erin and I to investigate that lead on Bryan Lamherst." Jay suggested casually.

"You want me to send you and Erin to a strip club." Voight answered flatly.

"Forget I asked." Halstead said smugly, before stealing a glance at Erin and mouthing _that was a strip club?_ To which his partner gave an exasperated nod.

"Hank, over here please." Sergeant Trudy Platt called suddenly, appearing at the top of the stairs. She held a thick envelope and appeared quite flustered.

Voight strode over to the desk sergeant. "Told you. Chicago never sleeps." He called out gruffly. Once he reached Trudy the two quickly engaged in an urgent conversation.

"What would you guess that's about?" Jay said quietly.

Erin shrugged and started typing her report. Around them the rest of the detectives got to work on their various leads and assignments. Jay soon discovered that he was much too distracted by Voight's animated gestures and occasional exclamations to get much done.

Eventually Voight and Platt's conversation halted and the two senior cops turned to address the rest of the room. All attention was swiftly refocused and the bullpen fell silent.

"There's been a gift." Voight announced suspiciously, folding his hands behind his back.

Trudy immediately jumped in, "A man by the name of Arthur Penn Sr. just delivered this-" she held up the envelope, "-or at least, sent a man in a trench coat to deliver it, to the 21st district of the C.P.D."

She cleared her throat and continued, "The label reads ' _A small payment toward the debt owed to this city's heroes'_. Obviously we initially found this so-called _gift_ to be suspicious, since there is usually no love lost between cops and businessmen-"

"Businessmen?" Antonio quipped, hand on his chin, listening intently.

"The Penn family owns the most successful cruise and vacation corporation on the West coast: _Penn Pacific_." Voight noted, to which Antonio nodded. He signalled for Platt to continue.

"But we've screened the contents, made some calls, and deemed the offer legitimate." Trudy stated firmly. The detectives immediately broke into excited chatter.

"Where's this generosity coming from?" Erin called out over the noise, sending the bullpen into silence once more.

Voight eyed Lindsay thoughtfully. "Apparently Penn's apartment on the Mag. Mile was one of the victims of Daniels' spree of robberies, and several important files and items of significant value were returned untouched and unharmed." He proclaimed. "There's your gratitude."

"Maybe Penn's just looking for some good old philanthropy to win some public approval- I heard he's running for some sort of position down at city hall." Atwater added.

"If it's philanthropy he wants, why would he target Chicago P.D.? Why not a childrens' hospital or homeless shelter?" Olinsky wondered.

"We don't even know what's in the envelope yet and we're already suspicious!" Antonio hollered, throwing in a facepalm for good measure. "Let's at least hear what we've got."

Trudy nodded and reopened the envelope to pull out a mess of already-sifted-through papers. "It's twelve tickets for a 2-week maiden voyage to Alaska on _Penn Pacific_ 's newest vessel, the _Borealis_. Food and drink included, round trip airfare, luxury accommodations." Platt recited, sounding somewhat pleased for the first time in the conversation.

"Sounds too good to be true. Who sends a bunch of cops on an all-expenses paid vacation?" Halstead questioned warily, not willing to get excited yet.

" _I_ don't think we should be looking this gift horse in the mouth - don't you all want to go on a free cruise!?" Ruzek hollered, throwing his hands up.

"Can we even go? I mean...can we abandon the district for two weeks?" Atwater said reasonably.

Platt shrugged. "I agree that the situation back here would be regrettable. The superintendant is of the mindset that to refuse such a generous offer would reflect poorly on the department. They're willing to re-route all cases to the surrounding districts so that we can take advantage of this reward provided that everyone will be on top of things upon return."

"I'm sold." Ruzek exclaimed quickly.

"Me too." Antonio added. "How often do we get a deal like this?!" he suggested excitedly. "I mean...I'm assuming we all get to go?"

Trudy still appeared businesslike. "I've decided that, by hierarchy, sergeants get first offer, followed by members of the intelligence squad, followed by four others to be determined. We have three days to decide since the cruise departs from Seattle on Friday."

"All of us can go then? Including Mouse?" Jay asked quickly.

Voight and Trudy exchanged a glance and nodded. "I suppose." Voight said fervently. "Though he's not police he's done loads for this unit in the last few months. I'll check with the ivory tower but it should be no problem. Trudy can pick from the patrol officers downstairs to fill the remaining three spots."

Trudy displayed a slight smile, looking like Voight had simply given her permission to do something she had planned to do anyway. "It's decided then. I'll make arrangements. The rest of you clear your schedules, work on transferring open cases, and inform me as soon as possible if you are declining this offer."

Excited chatter broke out in the bullpen once more as Trudy descended back to her desk and the gravity of what had just happened began to be understood.

...

"I can't believe we're actually going on a cruise tomorrow." Erin muttered, tidying the few papers that remained on her desk Thursday evening. "I'm still not sure this is a good idea. Alvin agrees with me."

Looking over at Jay, she saw he was smiling. "Only you and Alvin would find a problem with going on a vacation."

"You know, you're right. Since..." Erin got up and walked slowly toward Jay's desk, "...we'll be there together." She whispered, crouching beside his chair and staring directly into his piercing blue eyes. Eyes like an Alaskan glacier, she thought appropriately."So it can't be all bad." Jay breathed. Erin thought she could hear her heart beating heavily as he leaned toward her. Their breaths mingled, lips inches apart...

Suddenly thick footsteps became audible down the hallway, and the two jumped apart. Erin skidded back to her desk, busying herself with tidying her things as Ruzek jogged into the room looking for his phone.

 _This cruise can't come soon enough._ She thought suddenly, staring at Jay bent over his papers and looking a little too flustered.


	2. Nearly At The Top

It was Friday afternoon, and Jay Halstead found himself reclining in an uncomfortable metal seat inside Seattle's bustling cruise terminal. The last six hours had been painstaking, to say the least. Jay had been jolted awake at quarter to five and had hastily gathered up his things and driven off to pick up Erin before the sun had even slit the horizon. The pair had spent the ride to the airport lamenting about their exhaustion and teasing each other ruthlessly- mostly on the topic of Jay's army neatness and immaculate suitcase vs. Erin's half a dozen bags of frantic last-second chaos. Once they arrived at O'Hare coffee made things better, and soon Erin and Jay had united with their fellow officers at the pre-planned rendezvous point just before security.

Everyone had been in decent spirits up until that point, when the events of the security checkpoint made the morning much more stressful. Mouse had had a heck of a time explaining his mother lode of gadgets (two suitcases' worth) to the security personnel, and came close to being detained until Alvin stepped in with his badge and some smooth-talking. Jay had almost gotten himself into a similar situation by nearly losing it on a young guard who was a bit too touchy-feely with his screening of Erin. Ruzek had stalled the entire security line by forgetting about the abundance of forbidden edible goods he had stashed in his carry-on. Strangest of all encounters had been Voight's stand-off with the gruff officer-in-charge. Apparently the sergeant had somehow attained a dozen firearms and a permit to carry them with him in an armoured suitcase for the duration of the trip, though the head of airport security was understandably suspicious about the stash. Somehow Hank had convinced the security personnel to let him pass _and_ keep the guns, though neither Jay nor any of the other detectives had any idea how.

"As always, Voight has his own agenda. We just have to trust him." Antonio had whispered quietly to the group as they waited on their sergeant beyond security. When Voight was released, no questions were asked.

After security the morning was simpler; Platt led the group with an iron fist and ensured that all went smoothly from the moment the officers boarded their plane to Seattle until they arrived at their ship's wing of the cruise terminal.

Now Jay was enjoying his first moments of downtime, and the rest of the group was in a similar state. It was a group which consisted of Voight and the six detectives of intelligence, plus Mouse, along with Trudy and her three chosen officers. Or rather, two chosen officers. Unsurprisingly Platt had offered two of the vacation spots to her most highly regarded patrolmen, Burgess and Roman, though yesterday she had announced that the third spot was not to be filled by an officer, but rather by her husband, fireman Mouch. Trudy insisted that none of the other patrolmen had been able to clear their schedules to fit in the vacation, but Jay suspected that Trudy just wanted to take her husband on a free vacation. No one objected, since no one wanted to deal with the inevitable wrath that would follow. A happy sergeant Platt was an agreeable sergeant Platt.

An hour or so remained until the eager group would be able to board the ship, so Erin and Burgess had gone off to find something to eat in the busy terminal. Platt and Mouch were bantering about something involving parkas and hats. Roman, Atwater, and Antonio were watching some sort of sports event on a tablet. Ruzek and Olinsky had wandered off some time ago, and Voight was catching some shut-eye several metres away. To Halstead's right was Mouse, tinkering with a laptop.

"What do you know about Arthur Penn?" Mouse interjected suddenly, pulling Jay out of his fervour.

Mouse had pulled up several pages of information about their generous host on his laptop's screen, and was rapidly flipping through the information.

Jay shrugged quizzically. "The 21st recovered his property, so he sent us on a cruise."

"Except it wasn't the 21st." Mouse mused, pausing on a web article. "It was the 19th precinct that executed that particular bust."

"Maybe he made a mistake."

Mouse eyed Jay thoughtfully. "If he did it was a pretty damn expensive one."

Jay watched his friend pull up a picture of Arthur Penn. He was a burly grey-haired man with a close cropped but bushy beard and a large birthmark on his neck. In this particular photo, Penn was shaking hands with the mayor of Chicago.

"Platt said this whole offer was screened- how come no one noticed he got the wrong district?" Jay quipped quietly.

"Beats me." Mouse muttered.

Jay sat back and crossed his arms. "This whole thing's really weird."

"I'm not complaining; we're getting a free vacation after all." Mouse mused, shutting the laptop. "Besides, if something's up, I'll know. Why do you think I brought all this party equipment." He added, patting his large suitcases of tech supplies.

Jay smiled at his friend's foresight. He tried to relax, and reminded himself that nothing bad could possibly happen with Voight and Platt around to supervise and Mouse looking after everything. He shut his eyes and dozed off to the buzz of people milling about around him.

Several minutes later, Jay felt a sharp elbow against his side.

Mouse's familiar voice flooded his ears with a sharp whisper. "Rise and shine, Beauty's back."

Jay cracked his eyes open and groaned. He perked up when he saw Erin heading his way with two paper bags and a pair of drinks.

"Hey, I got you a sandwich." She said exasperatedly, flopping down on Jay's left. He took the bag gratefully, glancing at Mouse with both thanks and playful mocking.

...

As Erin followed the long procession of passengers travelling up the gangway to board the _Borealis_ , she was struck by how large and imposing the ship was. A huge white monstrosity flanked by lines of regal purple and _Penn Pacific_ decals.

"The Borealis is one of the biggest ships in the world- over a thousand feet long." Mouse chimed from behind her, seeing Erin gazing out the gangway's windows. "There's eleven restaurants, four pools, three spas, two theatres, a skating rink, a casino, sixteen lifeboats -"

Jay abruptly cut him off and slid in beside Erin. "-and that's enough of that."

"The goal is not to make Erin feel like we're walking onto _Titanic_." Jay stated with raised eyebrows.

Erin glanced at him quickly, anxiety flashing in her eyes, and recalled a conversation they'd had on the plane about her lack of experience on boats and around water.

"It's like a giant hotel, then." Mouse quipped with a forced smile.

"Better." Jay muttered.

Soon the group arrived at the top of the gangway, and stepped into the grand lobby of the ship. Hundreds of eager passengers filled the lavishly adorned room and crowded the sweeping marble staircase. With the added inconvenience of luggage, the result was pure chaos.

Erin suddenly found that Kim was on her arm. "Platt said we've got adjoining rooms on deck eleven. Apparently they're suites!" the officer exclaimed happily.

Erin smiled and her heart pounded with excitement. "So we really are getting some kind of star treatment! Let's go!" she called, grabbing Burgess' arm and dragging her toward the elevators.

Suddenly she stopped, almost sending Kim careening into her back. "What about the others?"

Burgess shrugged. "They're somewhere on the same deck- we can meet them up there." She added, pulling Erin through the throngs of people once more. As the two backed into a crowded elevator, Erin found she had lost complete sight of the rest of their group. _Oh well,_ she thought. _We're all going to the same place._

...

"Look at this view!" Kim called from her adjacent room. She and Erin had flung the door attaching their suites wide open in their eagerness to share the room-exploring experience.

Each girl had her own king-size bed, spacious living area, mini-bar, balcony, and fully-equipped bathroom.

"I'm not sure what I expected, but it was _not_ this." Erin called happily as she wandered out onto the balcony. Their suites were nearly at the top of the ship; only two or three decks were visible above. Erin smiled to herself, finally feeling pleased about the whole experience.

She strode over to Kim's room, a mirror image of her own, and joined Burgess on her balcony.

"So where do you think the others are?" Erin wondered aloud, noting that she hadn't seen anyone from their crew since they excited the elevator (which had emptied gradually as they passed through the lower decks).

"They're on this deck apparently, and there aren't many rooms up here...it's all suites." Kim said with a smile. "They're probably on the other side of the ship."

"Who booked the rooms?"

"Voight."

"Ah." Erin sighed.

"What?" Kim prodded.

Erin chuckled a little. "He's trying to keep us away from the guys. Typical."

"No way." Kim teased, elbowing Erin playfully.

"Yes way- you should have seen what he was like when I was a teenager."

Burgess laughed. "Something tells me you didn't let him stop you." She added with a wink.

"You could say that. He certainly won't stop me on this trip." Erin mused.

"I believe you." Kim nodded. "Whaddaya say we put something nicer on and go find the others- including Mr. Overprotective?"

"Sounds like a plan."

...

A few minutes later the girls were stalking the hallways in comfy spring dresses, Erin in night-sky blue and Kim in forest green, looking for a familiar face. Toward the front of the ship, where the doors were the most spaced apart- suggesting the largest rooms- they suddenly ran into Mouch, who was exiting he and Trudy's enormous _Glacier Suite_. He offered helpful information on the whereabouts of the rest of the group.

"Voight's in the next suite over, the rest are around the corner." The fireman suggested.

"So they _are_ on the other side of the ship." Kim whispered giddily.

Mouch continued, "It's Olinsky and Antonio, Atwater and Ruzek, Roman and Mouse, and Halstead, in that order I think."

"Halstead's alone?" Erin questioned, emitting a faintly detectable smile.

"He won some sort o' bet and got the room to himself." Mouch chuckled.

"Thanks Mouch!" Kim exclaimed, grabbing Lindsay and continuing down the halls.

The girls could hear the shufflings of the other officers unpacking, and decided to grab whoever wanted to go and explore the amenities on board the _Borealis_.

Olinsky, Antonio, and Mouse opted to stay and finish unpacking, but the rest joined Lindsay and Burgess' expedition.

As the group of six headed for the elevators Erin fell into stride beside Jay.

"Heard you've got a suite all to yourself." She whispered, taking his hand. "How would you feel if I wandered by your door tonight at, say, sunset?" Erin breathed, letting she and Jay fall back a few paces from the others.

Jay looked startled and gazed at Erin longingly. "You don't know how badly I want that...but I'm worried about Voight."

"You're scared of getting in trouble?" Erin joked.

"Honestly yes, a little, since I don't know what he would do if he found out."

"Then he doesn't have to find out." She mused, planting a light kiss on Jay's cheek. "This is our vacation too." She whispered.

Jay caught his heart thumping heavily as he and Erin stepped into the elevator with the others, and hoped he wasn't flushed.

...

The sextet of officers wandered the ship, passing hordes of luggage-laden families and couples already dressed for dinner. They quickly found that there was an indoor pool and several hot tubs overlooking the sea on their very own floor which were reserved for suite-stayers only, in addition to an excellent bar called _The Crevice_ at the stern. They passed multiple spas which Erin and Kim vowed to visit as soon as possible, as well as the ship's casino, which the girls had to essentially drag their male counterparts away from in order to keep exploring.

They also passed a skating rink, an arcade, a greenhouse, a chapel, and a multitude of restaurants. As evening approached the group decided to focus on dining options, and noted several places that could serve. There was an Italian-style pizzeria called _Bellino's_ , a sports bar called _Spectators At Sea_ , a Mediterranean Grill called _Poseidon_ , and a family-style buffet called _Port 51_ , to name a few. However, when the officers passed the grand dining room, with live music and floor-to-ceiling windows, the decision was made to dine there.

"Luxury it is." Kim announced cheerfully as the group came to a consensus.

"Let's grab the others and meet at the elevators on our deck in half an hour." Jay suggested as they headed back to deck eleven.

Erin gave him a sideways look. "That's not enough time." She said plainly. "I need at least an hour."

"Same." Kim added.

Jay sighed in mock frustration, but he was smiling. "Fine. One hour- but no later."

"Hope you brought your suit." Erin chimed with a sly smile.


	3. Obscured From View

They were a dapper sight: the officers, sergeants, Mouse and Mouch all dressed to the nines in casually fancy attire. Mouch and Trudy had coordinated- his tie matching her red dress- and it was quite a sight to see. Jay had never thought he would see sergeant Platt depart from her uniform again after her wedding, so seeing her in a dress once more was shocking.

It was five minutes to the proposed meeting time, and ten of the group members were present and waiting by the elevators. Unsurprisingly, Erin and Kim had not yet appeared.

"How long can two chicks possibly take to get ready for _one dinner_." Ruzek groaned, glancing at his wrist. "Also, where can I buy a watch that works." He added with a tap of his current watch's scarred face.

"There's a _Cartier_ on deck eight if you're _that_ kind of guy." Atwater muttered, earning a sarcastic stare from Ruzek.

"I'm glad you think I'm made of money, Atwater."

"I heard there's a bunch of stores on deck twelve as well; if you want we can look there tomorrow." A sincere voice called from down the hall.

It was Burgess, followed closely by Lindsay. Kim looked fetching in a neat, contemporary black and white blocked dress that fell to her knees. Behind her, Erin was absolutely ravishing in a slim, strapless black dress with criss-crossed cutouts on either side. The tantalizing stretches of exposed skin that curved down her sides combined with the smoky shadow of makeup that framed her eyes yielded a captivating result.

Voight's fatherly disapproval of Erin's appearance (in his opinion: stunning for all the wrong reasons) was evident from the weighted stare he fixed on her from the moment she entered the elevator. Jay himself felt heat creep up his spine as he stood beside her in the lift. Roman cleared his throat and pressed the button for deck four.

Jay caught himself staring at the delicate curve of Erin's collarbone, and wondered how the hell he was going to get through this dinner without arising any suspicions from Voight.

 _She makes it this way._ Jay thought begrudgingly, desire eating at him from the inside.

...

Erin took a seat across from Jay, between Kim and Alvin. To her left were Ruzek, Antonio, and Voight at the head. At the opposite end was Trudy, surrounded by Mouch, Atwater, Roman, and Mouse.

Erin quickly noted that the restaurant around her deserved mention as well; it was a dazzling cavern of a room- a balcony housed more tables overhead- which was lit by a dozen sparkling crystal chandeliers. Suited waiters whisked about the many white-clothed tables carrying silver trays laden with immaculate-looking food. An elevated golden platform in front of a wide pair of windows harboured four musicians softly playing piano, violin, cello, and bass. The other passengers sat sophisticatedly, sipping wine and taking dainty bites of fancy meat.

It also didn't take Erin long to decide that the whole place made her uncomfortable. The fanciness and elegance was stifling. She clicked her heels and tapped her nails in frustration, longing to get up and run off to one of the sports bars or jazz clubs they had seen earlier. She wished she could get away from the glamour and falsities of the grand dining room.

Beside her, Kim evidently noticed her fidgeting. "Not digging the grandness?" she whispered.

Erin shook her head and pursed her lips. "Not exactly. It's suffocating."

"Maybe the food will change your mind?"

"I'll get through it. Just let me pick where we go tomorrow."

"Fine...as long as it's not that sushi place. You know what kind of relationship I have with sushi." Kim added with a shiver.

Erin laughed and gazed around at her coworkers; their ease let her relax a little. She noted Jay, happily joking around with Mouse across the table and let her eyes linger, taking in his smile and contentedness. She felt something urgent ignite inside of her as she admired his handsome features.

When their waiter came around, Platt said something to him that incited a nod. Soon after Trudy happily announced that their status as personal guests of Arthur Penn did indeed earn them free meals and drinks. This announcement garnered wholesome cheers and back-slapping from several of the officers.

The waiter, who introduced himself as Mateo, instructed them all to simply identify as members of the C.P.D. at any restaurant on the ship in order to receive everything on the house.

"Every staff member on the _Borealis_ has been instructed to give your party V.I.P. status." Mateo assured the group, aiming the comment particularly at Voight who still appeared skeptical. "You are also entitled to use all amenities for free and to receive discounts at the ship's stores."

"Jackpot, baby." Erin heard Ruzek whisper, before fist-bumping Antonio. She rolled her eyes, but felt similarly excited internally.

"Now, what can I get you fine folks to drink?" Mateo called out with a click of his _Penn Pacific_ pen.

...

A hour and five courses later, Erin felt ready to explode. Though she had to admit, Kim had been right; the food had been incredible. A few glasses of fine red wine had left her a little light-headed, but she was itching to get up and walk around- mostly just to see more of the ship.

The sun was setting over Seattle through the dining room's immense windows, painting the sky in red, pink, and orange as the _Borealis_ crawled out of the harbour. The ship was beginning to inch her way toward Alaska as darkness fell. Erin was relieved to find that she couldn't feel a thing: as if the ship had never moved.

Feeling elated with drink and excitement, Erin made her glass airborne in the hopes of flagging Mateo down for a top-up, but found her arm colliding with a rather large stomach instead of empty air. With a sharp exclamation she whipped her glass back to table level, and uttered several apologies as she turned her head.

"Not a problem, not a problem." A jovial voice bellowed from above.

He was a stocky beer-bellied man with a silver bush of a beard. He had round, beady eyes and a rather hooked nose which held in place a pair of round-lensed spectacles. He wore a rough blue wool turtleneck, a pair of corduroy trousers, and on his head a captain's hat- vintage in appearance. His face was youthful and eager, despite the silvering of his hair. Erin was heavily trained to notice such details.

Across the table, Jay seemed to notice the individual looming over Lindsay and frantically attempted to low-key get her attention in a _that's the one!_ kind of way.

"I am so, so sorry." Erin muttered again, standing and smoothing her dress.

"It's completely alright. I must have startled you." The man remarked with a wide grin. "Forgive me- I'm Arthur Penn." He added, extending an arm.

"Oh... _oh."_ Erin squeaked, eyes wide. She quickly returned his handshake with a mechanical awkwardness. "Erin Lindsay." She responded more firmly, finding her footing.

"Pleasure." The large man mumbled incoherently.

The rest of the table had now turned to regard Lindsay's address of the strange man- now revealed to be the instrument behind the entire operation.

"Stands out among all the suits and tuxes, doesn't he?" Antonio whispered to Voight, who nodded solemnly.

"Don't let me keep you from your fine evening." Penn mused in his gravelly drawl. "I just wanted to formally welcome you aboard the _Borealis_. It's an honour to entertain officers and sergeants of the Chicago P.D." He droned with a small tip of his hat.

"Thank you sir." Trudy called with a plastered smile. "We were just finishing."

Arthur Penn nodded briskly. "Be sure to get out and enjoy _all_ this fine ship has to offer, then. If you need _anything_ , or want, perhaps, a tour of the ship's inner workings, do not hesitate to call." He concluded, handing Trudy a shiny business card, which she took graciously. Their unusual host wished the rest of the table a good evening before lumbering back to his twenty-person table in the centre of the dining room.

The awkwardness was palpable as the officers gathered their things and exited the grand dining hall swiftly.

"That may have been one of the most uncomfortable interactions I've ever witnessed." Antonio refuted once the group was out of the earshot of the other passengers. The members of the C.P.D. formed a sort of huddle in the ornamented lobby outside the dining room.

"I'll say." Erin muttered. "If we were back in Chicago, I'd bring that guy in- no questions asked."

"He's harmless." Voight grumbled. "Just a gracious host."

Jay folded his arms. "Could have fooled me."

"Leave Arthur Penn out of this and let's go have some fun!" Ruzek whined. "Heard there's a hoppin' club down on deck 3, if anyone'd care to let loose a little."

"Who told you that?" Antonio quipped, laughing under his breath.

"Atwater."

The young patrolman-turned detective looked shocked and threw his hands up. "No lies, man! C'mon!"

"I don't care who found it- I'm going." Burgess interrupted fervently, striding over to the elevators and jabbing the down button.

"Count me in." Erin quipped with a smile, briskly making her way to Kim's side.

"Me too." Jay added quickly.

The rest soon followed, with the exception of Trudy, Mouch, Olinsky and Voight, who opted to find something more toned-down upstairs.

"I'm still on Chicago time. It's time for some shut-eye." Mouch had insisted at Trudy's suggestion that they could walk the outdoor decks.

To which Trudy responded, "We're two hours behind here, which means we still have daylight. I will not be wasting any of my precious vacation time on sleeping." She finished, her tone rising steadily.

"Whatever you like, darling." Mouch gulped, looking appalled.

Meanwhile, Voight had jerked Halstead aside, away from the ears of the rest of the group.

"Keep an eye on her. But don't...try anything." He warned flatly, gesturing to Erin, who was obliviously laughing at one of Ruzek's jokes.

"No sir." Jay stated firmly, craving release from Voight's weightiness.

As Halstead gratefully joined the others on the elevator an instant later, Lindsay grabbed his arm.

"What'd he want?" She insisted, her gaze piercingly strong.

"Nothing." Jay assured her quietly.

Though internally he felt Voight's stare fixed on he and Erin until the metal elevator doors pressed shut, obscuring them from his view.


	4. Someone Was Watching

The sign overhead read _Northwest_ , and the club emitted the heavy pulse of a bass dance beat. Excitedly, Jay filed into the club with the other eight members of the C.P.D..

As soon as they were past the bouncer, Ruzek snagged a pair of snazzy blue drinks from a passing waitress.

"When the sergeants are away, the officers _will play_!" he exclaimed slightly unsteadily, handing one of the drinks to Burgess.

Kim accepted the drink, looking slightly bemused, and mouthed an _I've got him t_ o the rest of the group, before steering Adam away.

"We're a little overdressed." Mouse muttered in Jay's ear, tugging on his suit uncomfortably.

"Ya think?" he laughed back, struggling to make himself heard over the pounding music.

Scantily dressed passengers swayed and drank all around them, illuminated by the flashing coloured lights and minimal light that entered the club through several porthole windows. A DJ was perched high above the crowd on what appeared to be a giant glass platform- meant to look like an iceberg. A colourful bar stretched from one wall to the other on the far side of the room.

"You guys coming or what?" Atwater called over the chaos as he, Antonio, and Roman made their way toward the bar.

Mouse turned to follow them, but Jay saw a dark figure slinking off to the dance floor out of the edges of his vision.

"I'll be right there. You go, Mouse." Halstead insisted, feeling compelled to pursue Erin- both for personal reasons and for obligations to Voight.

He left Mouse and weaved his way through the sweaty, pulsating bodies, looking for Erin's distinctive figure among the masses of people. When he located her she already had a drink in her hand and several zealous admirers. Remembering that she had consumed several glasses of wine at dinner, Jay was unsurprised to note her high-pitched laugh and excessive smiling- the first signs that drunk Erin would be making an appearance.

He made his way quickly to her side and smoothly grabbed the drink from her hand with an overfriendly, "Hey you! I've been looking everywhere-" thrown in as he pulled her swiftly away from three protesting males.

"But I was making _friends,_ Jay." Erin whined, clinging to his side oddly.

"A little too friendly, Erin." He muttered back, dragging her over to a less crowded part of the dance floor. He got her dancing and she quickly cheered up.

Jay would spend the better part of the next few hours keeping Erin entertained and as far as possible from the bar. Somehow whenever he turned away, even for an instant, he would return to Lindsay's side to find her pursued by a new bachelor and with a fresh drink in her hand. Sad as it felt to admit it, Voight may have had a point about her dress.

When he wasn't trying to keep Erin and alcohol apart or dancing with her on the floor (a much more enjoyable experience), Jay was fending off predators of his own. Some girls made tempting offers, but nothing deterred Halstead from his task of discreetly keeping Lindsay under control. All he had to do was look at her floating bewitchingly through the crowd in her smooth black dress to get his head back on straight.

Eventually, Jay observed that Lindsay had turned some sort of a corner and transitioned from cheerful, party-loving drunk Erin, to violent, cop-like drunk Erin. As they danced to a particularly loud and hammering song, a nearby prowler made some sort of sensuous quip, and Erin responded by whipping around and nearly punching him in the nose. She tried to stalk after him, shouting harsh retorts, but Jay grabbed her shoulders and dragged her over to the rest of their group at the bar.

"Look who decided to join us! Grab another round-" Antonio cheered, flagging the bartender.

"-Not for us, thanks." Jay cut in rapidly, gesturing to Erin's wobbliness as she stood by his side.

"Who are you, Jay Halstead?" Erin slurred as she broke away from Halstead and plopped down on a stool beside Roman. "Have you had _anything_ tonight?" she teased Jay, evidently fully recovered from her near-explosion on the dance floor.

Jay smiled forcedly, internally thinking _no_ , _I actually haven't_.

"Looks like someone's had enough for the both of you." Atwater said quietly, pointing at Erin- who was now stroking a bewildered looking officer Roman's cheek.

"Where's Burgess and Ruzek?" Halstead wondered aloud.

"They went up a while ago since Adam was letting a little too loose- he tried to get up on the bar and sing the national anthem." Antonio laughed. "Kim decided to take him back to his room."

Jay glanced over at Erin- now falling asleep on the bar- and whispered back to Antonio, "I should probably do the same with Lindsay."

The rest of the guys nodded, insisting that they wouldn't be far behind, and Mouse offered to tag along as an extra pair of arms for support.

"See you all in the morning." Halstead called over the relentless music, and he nudged Erin awake and pulled her to her feet.

Between he and Mouse they managed to haul her through the thinning throngs of people and out the club's doors. They grabbed the first available elevator and loaded inside. Mouse hit the circular button for deck eleven, and silence fell as the doors clicked shut. As the elevator ascended, Erin sighed dazedly and rested her head on Halstead's shoulder. She slowly leaned more and more of her weight onto Jay, but he didn't mind. He found himself fixated on the delicate rise and fall of her chest.

When the doors opened on deck eleven, Jay and Mouse each took one of Lindsay's arms and steered her gently off the elevator.

"I've got it from here. Thanks, Mouse." Jay insisted as Erin slumped against him once more.

"No problem." Mouse answered with a yawn. "Good night." He called over his shoulder as he headed back towards his room.

Jay walked Erin the other way towards her room, and found her clutching his arm strangely.

"You know Jay, you have a really nice face." She mumbled softly, tracing his collarbone with her finger. "Like, a _really_ nice face."

Jay laughed quietly as he led her down the empty hallway. "And you-" he muttered, taking her hand firmly in his own. "-Have had _a lot_ to drink."

"Have not." Erin breathed, smiling.

"Have so." Jay murmured as they arrived at the door of her suite.

Erin shakily pulled her room key from her purse and opened the door with a click. He tried to ease her inside and shut the door, but she grabbed him firmly and pulled him inside, slamming the door roughly behind him. Before he could protest Erin had pressed him against the wall and was kissing him vigorously, pushing her body against his.

He enjoyed her passion for a moment as their lips collided forcibly, thinking _this is it_ , _I could have her now if I wanted to_. And he wanted to badly, feeling the curve of her back and breathing in her intoxicating scent.

But then he remembered his promise to Voight.

 _Not like this._ Halstead thought, regretfully pulling away with a sigh. Erin appeared confused; her eyes dazed and sleepy, the passionate flame behind her irises extinguished.

Wordlessly Jay took her hand and led her to bed. She didn't protest and shut her eyes almost immediately as she hit the downy sheets. Jay watched ruefully as she fell asleep, still in her dress. Eventually he slipped off her shoes and laid a blanket on top of her unconscious form before picking himself up silently and slipping out of the room, letting the door seal with a click behind him.

...

Erin woke to a pounding headache and the pleading aroma of coffee. She stirred and found that she was lying on her bed on deck eleven, a crumpled blanket half-covering her body, still wearing her black dress. Erin blinked her eyes open and saw that her black heels were on the dresser across the room.

 _How did those get there?_ She thought doggedly, straining against the beams of morning light that were penetrating the gossamer curtains.

Erin tried to remember what had transpired last night, but found that everything after the meeting with Arthur Penn was a blur of flashing lights and loud dance songs. _Guess we went to a club._ She thought pensively.

Lindsay sat up with a groan, her head protesting adamantly.

"Sound the trumpets: Erin Lindsay is no longer unconscious." Burgess called from her adjacent room- the door between the girls' suites was flung wide open once more.

Erin grumbled and walked over to her suitcase. "Please keep me away from alcohol for the rest of this trip." She pleaded, gathering fresh clothes and toiletries.

"Halstead was trying very hard to do that last night, you know. He never left your side." Burgess mused, appearing in the doorway.

"Jay was there?"

Burgess nodded. "You don't remember? Does that mean you guys didn't...you know..."

Erin rolled her eyes. "Do you think I'd still be wearing this dress if we had?"

"What a gentleman." Kim proclaimed wistfully. "By the way, Platt wants us all to meet for breakfast at _Port 51._ " She added, pouring herself some coffee.

"When?" Erin called back sleepily from within the bathroom, where she was attempting to remove the remains of her eye shadow and mascara.

"10:00."

"What time is it?"

Burgess glanced at the clock by Erin's bed. "9:50."

"Oh god, I'd better hop in the shower." Erin groaned.

Kim chuckled to herself. "Good call. See you in ten."

...

Jay had just sat down in _Port 51_ with a heaping plate of breakfast from the all-you-can-eat buffet when Erin and Kim walked in. Erin, appearing surprisingly perky (despite a likely severe hangover) took a seat diagonal from Jay, notably as far from Voight as possible. She glanced at Jay with a small smile, leaving him to wonder how much she remembered from the previous night. Voight, Platt, Mouch, and Olinsky sat at an adjacent table, from which Trudy called for everyone's attention.

"Good morning officers...and Mouse." Trudy boomed, standing and garnering some odd stares from the surrounding passengers. "I would like to brief you all on the itinerary for the next two weeks." She announced, pulling out a long piece of paper from her jacket.

"Our first stop will occur tomorrow night- day three of this vacation- and will include an optional trek to the top of a large glacier. The following three days will consist of a scenic from-the-ship tour of the Alaskan fjords with intermittent stops for hiking and whale-watching opportunities." Trudy finished with an approving nod.

"The seventh day will be spent at sea before we stop in...a place I can't pronounce...and receive a private tour of the ice caves, courtesy of Arthur Penn."

"Look at my boy Arthur, stepping up." Ruzek murmered jokingly, causing Kim to laugh a little.

Platt cleared her throat and continued. "Days nine and eleven will also contain stops at locations of interest, before our final three days are spent at sea on the long trek back to Seattle."

"Thank you for getting us up to speed Trudy darling..." Mouch muttered to his wife. "Can I eat my breakfast now?"

Trudy rolled her eyes. "Do what you like with the next 32 hours." She told the group with a grumble before sitting back down.

The group quickly returned to their food, chattering amiably amongst themselves. Erin and Kim got up and went to the buffet line, where Erin put together a small plate of fruit and a hard-boiled egg.

"How does hitting up one of the spas sound for this morning?" Burgess suggested as they headed back to their seats.

"Like a blessing." Erin muttered. "I need something to get rid of this headache."

Kim nodded excitedly. "Consider it done- we can pick one from the directory as soon as we're finished here."

Meanwhile, Jay and the guys discussed an ongoing game that had emerged in the Ruzek-Atwater room.

"Atwater and I have worked out a points system," Adam explained, "where get points for everything- Whoever takes the fastest shower gets a point, whoever can make a shot into the garbage bin in our suite gets a point, whoever can hit closest to the bullseye in a darts match gets a point, and on and on and on..."

"So you literally just give each other points for every random thing that happens?" Antonio chuckled.

"-Not give the points- _earn_ the points." Atwater interrupted. "And yes, we pretty damn well count everything."

"Why? What's the prize?" Roman wondered, pressing into the conversation.

Ruzek leaned closer and whispered, "Loser has to buy the winner a _Cartier_ watch."

Antonio whistled his approval. "I want in."

"Why should we share our game wit' you?" Atwater mused, eyebrows raised.

"Then the _losers_ -plural- can all pitch in on the watch and not go entirely broke." Antonio replied, emphasizing _losers_ with air-quotes. "Plus I could use a _Cartier_ watch."

"Fine- that's not a bad idea." Ruzek nodded. "Like a bit of insurance. Anyone else care to join?"

"I'm in." Roman and Halstead said in unison. All eyes turned to Mouse.

Mouse glared back at them grumpily. "Fine." He muttered.

" _Yes!_ " Ruzek exclaimed with a small fist-pump. "All in- I like it."

Antonio smirked. "How will we keep track of how many we've each got? Not like we can use an honour system..."

"We'll make a tally and put it in someone's room." Ruzek decided. "There's gotta be a place to buy a whiteboard and markers somewhere on this boat...I mean, I swear I walked past a vacuum store this morning! Who buys a vacuum on vacation?"

"You'd be surprised. This ship has everything- including every kind of person." Jay mused, noting as he spoke that, appropriately, it felt like someone was watching him. As the guys gathered their things to head to the arcade- to be the site of their first official points opportunity as a unit- Jay turned to the corner of restaurant, where he thought he'd seen a suspicious-looking solitary person in a dark hoodie earlier. When his eyes found the table, it was empty.


	5. Blissfully Unaware

Thanks to everyone who has read this story so far! I really appreciate the positive reception- it motivates me to keep writing! Now I have to ask you, the readers, what part of this you enjoy most. I have plans for the story on a big sort of overall-plot scale, but I'm unsure what sort of smaller moments I should be focusing on.

My question is, what would you like to see more of? Linstead moments? The guys' antics? Kim + Erin adventures? Mouse? Voight + Platt interventions? The whole group together? Please let me know by leaving reviews, and I'll be sure to take any suggestions into account.

Once again, thanks for reading! Now, on with the story.

...

"Which one do you think is best?" Erin pondered as she and Kim perused the list of ship amenities.

"How should I know? Maybe one is fancier and more expensive..."

Erin shrugged, "They're all spas, Kim- how different can they be?"

"How about _Northern Reflections_." Burgess read skeptically. "There's massages, facials, hot rock treatments, hot tubs-"

"Sounds fine- where is it?" Erin muttered, massaging her temples and eagerly anticipating being rid of her hangover headache.

Kim scanned the deck map beside the elevators for a moment. "Deck thirteen! Right at the top!" she proclaimed excitedly, dragging Erin into an open elevator car.

...

"Welcome to _Northern Reflections Spa_." The desk lady cooed calmingly as Kim and Erin entered the spa a moment later. "How can I assist you?"

"Give us your longest, most relaxing treatment available." Kim mused with a cheerful smile.

The woman returned a slightly confused look and typed something into her computer.

"Oh- we're with the C.P.D." Erin added quickly.

At that the woman softened, her eyes bright and thoughtful.

She gave a small nod. "Of course. Right this way please."

The desk lady led Kim and Erin through an ornate set of fogged doors and into a sort of holding area/locker room. The place was deserted; the expensive-looking gold fixtures and stunning northern aboriginal art pieces suggested that they had chosen the most expensive spa of the three options.

The woman gestured to several change room stalls with doors covered in elaborate mosaics. "Please disrobe and leave your clothes inside. They will be taken care of." She finished, before nodding farewell and exiting the room

Kim and Erin exchanged an excited (and slightly concerned) glance as the room was plunged into quiet, broken only by the faint echo of airy flute music ambiance.

"What the heck have we just signed up for?" Erin whispered, eyeing the room's emptiness suspiciously.

"Who cares? It looks super expensive so it has to be good. Maybe some sort of traditional Inuit healing ritual." Kim mused, her voice trailing off as she poked a bronze sculpture of a man spearing a whale.

Erin wandered into one of the changing stalls, and immediately a little stone water feature trickled to life in the corner, while the lights dimmed to soft candle-like illumination. Hesitantly, she stripped down and left her clothes in a pile on the floor, feeling extraordinarily exposed. She wrapped the luxurious white robe that hung on the back of the door around herself and tied it tightly before stepping back out into the holding room.

She and Kim waited perhaps a minute before a door opposite from the one which they had entered through slid open.

"Right this way, please." A gentle, distinctly male voice called from the dark room beyond.

Erin and Kim entered a curtained room obscured by shadow, filled with the calming aroma of incense. A pair of men- evidently of first nations descent, and pleasing to the eye- with dark hair and copper skin stood quietly at the back of the room. Two massage tables were barely discernible in the pressing darkness.

Wordlessly the girls lay down on the tables, backs exposed, and waited. Erin began to panic- lying nearly naked in a room with two men she had never met was _not_ her idea of a relaxing time- but her fears were dissolved as soon as the masseuses got to work.

The man pressed into her back from every possible angle, working out tight spots Erin hadn't even known existed. His hands worked gently but firmly, easing out the pain with every push. Erin soon forgot where she was, what she was doing, and everything she had been carrying around and fretting about. She lay in that dark room, breathing in the sharp aroma of incense, and entered a state of bliss.

Suddenly, the massage stopped, and the man left Erin's side for a moment. Groggily she lifted her head, helpless as a baby bird, and glanced around the room. Kim's masseuse was nowhere to be seen either- the men had essentially disappeared- and Burgess appeared to be fast asleep.

Erin scanned the room, struggling to see anything in the gloom, and thought she saw someone standing in the far corner. _A man in a hoodie,_ she thought uncomprehendingly. She sat up and strained to get a better look. _Am I seeing things?_ Erin wondered, clutching her towel to her chest. But she blinked, staring into the corner once more, and whatever she had seen was gone.

She heard footsteps and quickly laid back down, trying to calm herself. An instant later a door opened, and Erin felt panic rush up into her chest. She turned slowly to see what had entered the room-

-and breathed a sigh of relief when it was only the two masseuses, returning with a cart of oils, fragrances, and hot rocks.

...

Four floors below on deck ten, the _Borealis'_ arcade erupted into cheers. The number 992, 300 flashed brilliantly on a screen. Mouse had just broken the all time score on yet another game (the third one in the past hour) and the surrounding crowd watched and cheered, awestruck, as the machine spewed out an eternal string of tickets. Among the crowd were Antonio, Halstead, Roman, Atwater, and Ruzek, who finally conceded that Mouse deserved the point for this event- the arcade challenge.

"Man, I thought _Ruzek_ was good in the arcade..." Atwater quipped as Mouse gathered up his mountain of tickets.

"...but he ain't got nothin' on you, man."

Mouse said nothing and smiled, hauling his cache over to the prize table.

Antonio strode up beside Mouse and put his arm over his shoulders. "So what're you getting? We're going to pool all our tickets together and try to get the giant beach ball...but you might have enough on your own for that drone or that flat-screen up at the top..." the detective mused, having happily reverted to a childlike demeanour inside the arcade.

"I already have a drone, and I brought half a dozen monitors with me on this trip alone." Mouse stated simply, his expression betraying nothing.

Antonio furrowed his brow in confusion and watched Mouse walk over to the counter. He exchanged a few words with the clerk and handed over his myriad of tickets.

After a long period of feeding the tickets into a counting machine, the clerk nodded and handed Mouse a _giant_ stuffed beluga whale.

"What the hell?" Ruzek muttered under his breath, watching Mouse struggle with his prize.

The guys shook their heads in confusion, and watched as Mouse didn't return to his group, but rather strode back into the arcade, where he looked around for a moment before heading over to the Dance Dance Revolution game. There he proceeded to give the stuffed animal to a girl who was waiting in line. She was tall, slender, and tanned with dark curly hair, and she was ecstatic to receive Mouse's gift. She appeared to exclaim excitedly at the sight of the whale, and hastened to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. Mouse bid her goodbye and sauntered back over to his friends, smiling cockily.

"Genius." Ruzek grunted, causing the others to laugh.

"Well done, man." Halstead exclaimed through laughter, clapping Mouse on the back. "Who is she?"

"Her name's Sienna." Mouse answered with a smile.

"And?" Jay prodded.

"She's from Canada."

Antonio screwed up his face. "That's all you got?"

"I got her number, too." Mouse quipped, holding up a folded piece of paper.

Atwater nodded approvingly. "Well, someone's cruise just got a lot more exciting."

"New challenge." Ruzek interrupted. "Next one to get a girl's number gets a point. Mouse is exempt since he already has a number _and_ a point."

"Do Burgess and Lindsay count?" Roman mused with a smile.

"Of course not." Ruzek sputtered playfully. "Let's get up to the pool on deck nine and hit up some real strangers- I think there's a cabana that serves drinks after eleven."

...

Erin felt very carefree and indulgent as she reclined in a comfy chair overlooking the sea; at her feet a woman was painting her toenails a saucy, vibrant red. The rest of the massage had been harmless- in fact it had been very pleasant- and afterwards Erin had enjoyed a facial, a dip in a fancy hot tub, (inside which Kim had determined that she wanted/needed a nice bathing suit like the ones the spa had lent them) and then a foot massage in preparation for getting her nails done.

As the woman doing her nail polish finished, Erin reluctantly stood and straightened her robe, feeling rejuvenated and satisfied with her spa experience.

She and Burgess changed back into their clothes and thanked the staff before ducking back outside to the real world.

Immediately Kim burst into excessive raving about the spa: from the sleep-inducing massage to the handsome masseuses, to the revitalizing facials, to the gorgeous view from the pedicure chairs.

Erin had to agree, though her experience had been somewhat dampened by her strange sighting in the massage room- of which Kim was blissfully unaware.

However Erin did note - thankfully- that her headache had all but disappeared.

"I'm so pleased with us." Kim chuffed with a wide smile as they arrived at the elevators.

"Me too." Erin mused contentedly. "Now- about that bathing suit..." she began, pressing the elevator's down button.

...

Antonio, it turned out, would be the next of the guys to receive what Roman had dubbed a " _Cartier_ point". The six members of the C.P.D. had arrived at the deck nine pool- the only outdoor one on the ship- to find it bursting with unaccompanied woman. Apparently they had arrived in the middle of some sort of "Free Drinks For Females" happy hour at the pool's cantina.

Antonio had stridden over to the bar and purposefully engaged a young blonde in a quick conversation. In only a few sentences he was able to make a triumphant exit, clutching a sticky note with a number scribbled on it.

"Didn't even have to buy her a drink." Antonio announced proudly after re-gathering his friends to show off his prize.

"Fine, one point for Dawson." Ruzek conceded with a grumble. "Do you think you'll even call her?"

"Nah...not my type." Antonio mused, ripping the note to shreds.

Roman, meanwhile, looked uncomfortable. "Much as I'd love to take advantage of this opportunity, " he started, gazing over at the cantina packed with women, "I'm getting weird vibes from the veterans in the hot tub over there." He muttered, gesturing to an infinity tub that hung out over the edge of the ship.

The guys followed his gaze and observed several older ladies waving seductively from their perch in the tub.

Jay nodded in agreement. "There's lots of other stuff to do on this deck." He whispered, secretly eager to get away since his presence amongst so many other women felt like a betrayal of Lindsay's trust.

The others agreed, and the group headed back through the doors to the interior of the ship. As they were heading down the hall towards the busier centre where most of the entertainment was, Jay paused at a pair of glass doors on the left. His jaw dropped at what he saw inside.

"Hold up guys," he called quickly. "I think I found the source of our next point."

The others glanced inside and emitted similar reactions.

"The girls might want to be in on this." Jay added, pulling out his phone to text Erin.

...

Erin felt her phone buzz as she sat in the change room of the swim store on deck nine. Burgess was in the stall to her right trying on half a dozen swimsuits.

Erin pulled out her phone and saw a text from Jay. He wanted she and Kim to come to the doors that led to the outdoor pool.

"The guys want us to meet them somewhere." She muttered as Kim opened the door for an opinion.

"Do you think blue's a good colour on me?" Kim wondered aloud, sporting a dark blue bikini.

"Yeah they're all good." Erin murmured, sending off a response to Jay. "Pick one and let's go, apparently it's urgent."

"But I can't choose." Burgess moaned, her shoulders slumping.

Erin grinned. "We _do_ get fifty percent off everything...so you _could_ get two."

Kim perked up, "I'll get the blue one and the white one then."

"Buy them and let's get out of here." Erin quipped, gathering her things.

Kim paid for the suits and in moments the girls were off to find Jay.

They headed down the hallway toward the outdoor pool, and saw Halstead waving his arms and looking excited beside the last door on the right.

"You're gonna love this!" he called breathlessly as Erin and Kim came closer. He urged them through the doors and into a familiar-looking room.

"A shooting range?" Kim exclaimed, perplexed. "How is that allowed on a ship?"

"They aren't shooting bullets." Jay responded with a competitive grin. "They're shooting paint."

For a moment Erin couldn't speak and stared a Jay open-mouthed.

"Oh, this is _so on_." She whispered eventually, casting Halstead a devilish grin.


	6. Just Like Jack

Thanks for everyone who responded to my request from the last chapter! Hope you all enjoy this next offering... ;)

...

Erin breathed deeply and watched the target aggressively through her safety goggles, holding the paintball gun steady. She fired off several shots consecutively, absorbing the recoil without much effort. The shots hit the target point-blank, leaving small red paint splatters inside the smallest ring of the target.

Sauntering back over to the group, she glared at Halstead triumphantly.

"Beat that." She challenged, already confident of victory."Better start planning your dinner with Voight."

Just moments earlier, Jay had brought Erin and Kim up to speed on the whole points thing. Erin had immediately informed him of just how stupid she thought it was, so while the rest of the group agreed to shoot for a point, Erin suggested her own prize for if she could come out on top.

"If I win, I get to send someone on a 1-on-1 dinner date with Voight." She had proclaimed with a devious grin. She had stared at Jay the whole time, leaving him no choice but to beat her soundly. An awkward dinner with the almost-father of Jay's almost-girlfriend was the last thing on Earth he wanted to endure.

As the rounds of paintball-shooting had progressed, all other competitors had been eliminated, leaving Erin and Jay- the sharpest shots- to do battle for the ultimate prize: a point towards the _Cartier_ for Jay, or the chance to stage a delightful prank for Erin.

Jay stepped up to fire his rounds and found that his hands were quivering. He let the paint loose- blue splatters exploded on the distant target- and though his shots were good, they were nowhere as precise as Erin's had been. With a groan, he turned to face his friends and observed Erin beaming back at him in the front and centre. The rest of the group started arguing about where to go next, but Erin wandered over to his side.

"Do I have to do it tonight?" Jay muttered in a small voice, dreading the inevitable.

Quietly, so as not to fill the ears of the other officers, Erin murmured back, "Nope."

Jay stared at her suspiciously,"Why's that?"

"Because you're taking me out to dinner tonight."

Jay smiled and discreetly took her hand.

"That doesn't mean you're off the hook with Voight. That's still happening." She added quickly. "Just not tonight." She finished cheerfully.

"Do you have any moral problems with ditching the group for the afternoon?" Jay asked quietly, noticing that the others were still thoroughly engrossed in planning.

"Not in the slightest." Erin whispered. However, she paused for an instant, "Though I _did_ hint that I'd do my next meal with Burgess." She remembered with a sigh.

"She'll get over it- we've got to go _now_." Jay quipped, grabbing Erin's arm.

She conceded and let him drag her out, smiling as they snuck through the doors.

...

Feeling rebellious, Erin and Jay weaved swiftly through the _Borealis'_ ninth deck, trying to put ample distance between the paintball range and themselves. Erin found herself laughing heartily as she imagined the faces of the rest of their group when they discovered that she and Halstead had _literally_ vanished.

Jay halted in front of the _Chinook Cafe_ , breathing heavily. "I think we're good."

He smiled and pulled Erin closer, leaning in to kiss her. She was about to oblige, when she noticed a familiar silhouette seated inside the cafe.

Beyond the glass of the front window Voight paused mid-sip, wondering is his eyes were deceiving him as he peered at the scene unfolding just a few feet away.

"Oh god." Erin hissed. "Definitely _not_ good..." she added, yanking Jay away from the window and taking off at a jog down the ship's central promenade.

"Wha-" Jay gasped, nearly pulled off his feet at Lindsay's eagerness to flee.

Inside the cafe Voight slammed down his cup- startling Olinsky in the process- and bolted out the doors of the cafe.

"Erin?" he called disbelievingly, wondering why the heck she was sprinting away from him.

Erin glanced back, her heart slamming into her chest as she saw that Hank was pursuing them.

Jay cast a brief glance backward as well, and his eyes widened when he saw what Erin was running from.

"Oh, shit." He laughed, picking up speed as the pair careened down a grand staircase.

Their laughter escalated uncontrollably, fueled by the adrenaline of the chase. Erin wondered if the passengers she and Jay were zooming by thought they were crazy, and found that she didn't care in the slightest.

Eventually they arrived at the end of the promenade and flung open the doors to the rearward outdoor deck. Erin stared around frantically, looking for somewhere to hide, and spotted a huge horde of couples doing yoga on colourful mats by the starboard rail. She gestured to an empty mat and flung off her jacket before wildly attempting to replicate the current yoga position, urging Jay to do the same. He did so begrudgingly, trying to stifle his laughter.

Erin contorted into the downward-facing dog and tried to keep her head down in order to blend in. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the promenade doors fly open, and a dishevelled-looking Voight emerged. The sergeant was glancing around madly, scanning the deck for any sign of Erin or Jay.

"It's like she's reverted to adolescence." He muttered irritably, striding off in the opposite direction of the yoga group.

"We need to switch decks." Jay whispered urgently once Voight was a safe distance away.

"Definitely." Erin whispered back, still eyeing Hank's distant bobbing head warily. Slowly she stood up and grabbed her jacket. Taking Jay's hand, she stepped tenderly around the other yoga-going passengers- ignoring their irritated stares- and walked casually back inside the promenade.

Once Lindsay and Halstead were back inside they made a beeline for a trio of elevators. Jay hit the down button and the pair waited impatiently for one of the lifts to open. They jostled inside the first elevator to open its doors and Erin immediately jammed the button for deck one.

"As far from Voight as possible." She whispered, taking Jay's hand.

Erin took a deep breath as soon as the doors slid shut, relief at she and Jay's successful evasion of Voight washing over her.

Soon the doors opened on deck one- a quiet one with nothing but staterooms- and Erin and Jay stepped out, warily scanning the hallway for Lindsay's adoptive dad.

"I think we've lost him." Erin murmured quietly, walking slowly hand-in-hand with Halstead.

Jay pulled out his phone. "It's four o'clock." He noted with astonishment. Time alone with Erin always passed by inconceivably fast.

Suddenly a dreaded voice filled Jay's ears- Hank's gravelly drawl was audible from around the corner- and his heart sank; there was nowhere to hide down here.

"I swear it was Erin- looked like she was with Jay..." Hank was muttering into his cell.

"In here!" Erin hissed urgently, whipping open the door to a supply closet on their right and shoving Jay inside. She was about to exclaim about their luck at finding the door unlocked, when she came face-to-face with a homely, strict-looking maid restocking her cart. The woman opened her mouth to shout some sort of obscenity-

"-We're with the C.P.D." Erin blurted out rapidly, raising her hands in submission.

The maid shut her mouth and gave Erin and Jay a quizzical look. "Don't let me interrupt." She muttered in a thick eastern European accent, before wheeling her cart out the door and leaving Lindsay and Halstead alone.

As soon as the woman had left, Jay locked the door to the closet with a loud click.

"I can't believe that worked." He whispered with a smile, watching Erin approvingly.

"That waiter wasn't kidding about the staff on this ship." She retorted with a small chuckle.

Jay sat down on a stack of paper towel. "The real question is, how the hell did Voight know we came down here." He muttered, head in his hands. "You sure he isn't GPS-tracking your phone or something?"

"It's not impossible..." Erin mused, extracting her phone from her pocket and analyzing it critically. "I'll admit, I thought we lost him with the yoga on deck nine." She laughed.

"That was genius." Jay said quietly, standing to face Erin and slowly wrapping his arms around her waist.

Erin stared into Jay's icy blue eyes, lips parted, her feet frozen in place.

Jay pulled her into a slow, meaningful kiss- a sharp contrast to the fiery burst of passion she had drunkenly laid upon him last night. This was intimate and sensual, conveying eagerness and elation as their lips fused together.

Jay ran his fingers slowly through Erin's hair and pulled her slender body closer, their forms locked in perfect unity. She kissed him insistently, wanting to hold onto the moment for as long as possible.

She gasped as his fingers started to lift up her shirt.

"We're in a closet, Jay." She breathed against his lips, almost bursting into laughter.

"I don't really care." He whispered back, exposing her belly as he raised her shirt higher.

Erin smiled at him and gently pushed her shirt back down. "You'll enjoy this _a lot_ more when I come to your room tonight after our dinner."

Jay groaned but smiled and gave her one more quick kiss. "You're probably right." He admitted.

Jay glanced at her with a frown, "But what about-"

"-Don't worry about Voight." Erin murmured, resting a hand delicately on Jay's cheek. "He'll never know I've left my room." She added with a wink.

"Let's go find somewhere to eat then and get on with it." Jay said playfully, cracking open the closet door to check for any signs of Voight. "Where do you have in mind?"

"There's a Jazz club on deck three with live music tonight." Erin suggested. "Voight hates jazz."

"Then we're on our way." Jay muttered as he and Erin slid out of the supply closet.

...

"Who would've ever thought we'd be sitting in a jazz club on a cruise ship together." Erin mused with a smile as she poked at a seafood pasta dish inside the deck three jazz joint. "I mean, after that first month as partners, when we botched half a dozen cases and couldn't stop bickering like an old married couple."

" I might have _hoped_ we'd get into some sort of a situation like this, but never really thought it could actually happen." Jay answered honestly from across the table.

Erin shrugged, popping a piece of grilled salmon into her mouth. "How do you mean?"

"I think I've loved you from the moment I first set eyes on you." He said quietly, causing Erin to put down her fork and gaze back at Jay unabashedly. "And it's only gotten stronger the more I get to know you."

Erin watched him admiringly, emitting a sweet, demure smile. "Is that sincerity? Coming from _Jay Halstead_?" she whispered, her beautiful eyes sparkling with humour in the candlelight.

"Is that sarcasm from _Erin Lindsay_?" Jay retorted with a grin.

Erin shrugged teasingly, "You know, this isn't the first time a guy's professed his love for me, but this is the first time one's said it and I've wholly believed him."

She took Jay's hand and looked into his eyes sincerely. "I love you too, Jay Halstead." She breathed, leaning over to kiss him. As she pulled away, Erin appeared playful once more. "I'm still making you do dinner with Voight."

Jay nodded, having long ago accepted his fate. "Then I'm going to tell him. That I love you."

Erin looked startled and stared back at him open-mouthed. "Are you sure?" she stammered.

"Positive. No more secrets and sneaking around. " He proclaimed. "Although I did have a lot of fun this afternoon. I felt like Jack running away from the butler guy with Rose in Titanic."

Erin shot him a bemused look. "We won't have to do that again if you use the dinner to tell Voight."

" _And_ I'll be able to kiss you whenever I want. Even in front of the others." Halstead countered with a smile.

"Sounds like you've got it all figured out." Erin mused, sitting back with her arms crossed.

Jay shrugged. "I'm getting there."

...

Erin slid into her room quietly as the sun was setting, hoping to sneak right back out to Jay after grabbing a few things. However, her plan was interrupted as she turned on the lights to find Kim waiting for her- reading a book on her balcony.

"Look who decided to show." Burgess trilled with a smile.

"I swear, Kim, if you tell-"

"I'm not telling anyone." Burgess insisted, shooting Erin a _what kind of friend do you think I am?_ look. "No point in lying. I know you're going to Jay's room."

Erin gave an unhappy huff.

"It's okay- I think it's about damn time." Kim mused, enjoying her rare advantage over Erin Lindsay. "Go...have fun with Jay. If anyone calls I'll say you're in here with me."

Erin breathed a sigh of relief. "You're actually the greatest, Kim."

"I know." Burgess said happily, returning to her book. "I'll leave the door unlocked for when you sneak back in the morning."

Erin shot her a sly look before gathering some clothes and slipping back out the door.


End file.
